POLICE CHIEF ATTACKED FOR DRUG COMMENTS

A senior police officer has been criticised after saying most of the damage
from drugs is caused not by the substances themselves, but by the UK legal
system.

North Wales Police Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom said he saw no problem
with drugs as long as addicts were not committing crimes to fund their habit.

But Paul Betts, whose daughter Leah died after taking ecstasy, said Mr
Brunstrom's ideas were impractical and would only lead to more crime.

Mr Brunstrom told Channel 4 News: "If you're not mugging old ladies and not
stealing from shops and not stealing cars, what actually is the problem?

"Why shouldn't you be taking drugs? Why are these things illegal? What was
the purpose behind it?

"We have the harshest drugs laws in Europe and by far the worst drug abuse
problem - so we haven't got it right, and in my view we are losing the war.

"There is no doubt at all that there is an appalling toll of human misery
caused by the misuse of drugs in the current environment.

"My proposition is that much of that is caused by their illegality and not
by the drugs.

"If they were treated differently by our legal system it's quite possible
that much of the misery, much of the harm, much of the adverse impact on
health could be swept away."

He said UK drug laws were highly "illogical", as some seriously damaging
substances were legal.

"It is very clear that alcohol and nicotine are arguably much more
dangerous to individuals and more costly to our society than many of the
proscribed drugs.

"Society needs to talk about this. Why are drugs illegal? Clearly if they
are damaging to health then that is one good reason.

"But the reasons why some of these drugs have become illegal are now lost
in the mists of time."

He added that if drugs were legal, their street value would not be so high,
and drug pushers would lose interest.

"Something like UKP6bn a year is going into the pockets of criminals from
citizens of this country to support a war that we are losing and in my view
we should be looking at alternatives.

"If you're going to be a drug addict surely it's better to have a
controlled drug of known purity with proper dosage advice... rather than
buying something unknown from a stranger on a street corner."

Mr Betts said of Mr Brunstrom's comments: "While his idea might be made
with the best will in the world, it won't work.

"If you legalise drugs who is going to pay for them? Are they going to get
their drugs for free?

"If they do become addicted to a 'legal' drug and their habit is going up
and up, I very much doubt the NHS is going to produce the drugs cheaply -
so crime will escalate."

Mr Brunstrom has previously compared the UK's drug policy to that of
America's alcohol prohibition in the 1920s, and called for a Royal
Commission to be set up to study the issue.


Newshawk: puff_tuff
Pubdate: Thu, 14 Mar 2002
Source: BBC News (UK Web)
Copyright: 2002 BBC
Contact: http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/talking_point/forum/
Website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/